Title: Fresh Ink: An Anthology
Author: Schuyler Bailar, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Sharon G. Flake, Eric Gansworth, Malindo Lo, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Aminah Mae Safi, Gene Luen Yang, Nicola Yoon
Publication: August 14, 2018
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Teens, YA Fiction, Short Stories
Pages: 204
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.
Careful–you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written–whose next chapters are up to you.
Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.
Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I am not a big short stories lover, but in recent years I have found myself intrigued by them. Fresh Ink is an anthology of short stories by an incredible array of individuals writing on everything from LGBTQ struggles, situational issues with families, friends, and so much more. These are the topics a lot of authors avoid, yet here we have a whole book of them.
My reasoning for not loving short stories is that I love to know how the story ends, or at least where it’s leaving off with some form of conclusion. Short stories tend to not give conclusions. Fresh Ink are those types of stories. They are purposely left open so the reader can imagine up their own ending. It’s creative writing, but also creative reading. While this does frustrate my inner “Must Know EVERYTHING” self, it’s kind of refreshing and realistic at the same time. Stories rarely end. You walk by someone on the street kissing their significant other and you only get that small snippet of their life. You have no idea what happens next. These stories are just like that. You see this small snippet that could make an incredible full length novel, but what’s the fun in that?
I feel like these stories touched on some hard hitting subjects that a lot of people avoid because they are hard to talk about. Those are the best kinds of stories. Fresh Ink makes you think. It makes you step back and question if you’ve ever accidentally and unknowingly treated someone in a way that left them feeling less than, or if you’ve ever brightened someones day with a small compliment. These stories are the readers. It is there lives, and I think people of all ages, colors, sexual orientations, and backgrounds can and will relate to these. I highly recommend picking Fresh Ink up and spending a few days emerging yourself in the lives of these individuals you read about. I guarantee you won’t regret it.
You can pick up your copy of Fresh Ink on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the authors when you are finished. Make sure to check out more work from all of the involved authors on their respective pages or where books are sold.
